Steering assist members, also referred to as steering stabilizers, are known components of the steering system of a vehicle. Such members enable the steering system to counteract various interferences encountered when driving, such as potholes, uneven pavement, off-road obstacles, a blown tire, sudden wind gusts, etc., which would otherwise force the vehicle to deviate from the driver's desired straight-ahead trajectory. The steering assist member is intended to correct the steering of the vehicle under such circumstances by providing a force that returns the steering system to the driver's desired path, such as along a straightaway, by providing a return-to-center force.
Some prior art units only provide damping, and lack the desired additional force provided by return-to-center units. However, many of the available return-to-center units only provide very low forces near the center position, with ramped-up forces only being applied during bigger turns. Thus, smaller interferences are not corrected for by such units.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device that can provide return-to-center features with essentially any move off center. In other words, it would be desirable to have a unit that provides full pressure, or nearly full pressure, with even slight movements off center, or to have a unit that at least provides sufficient return to center force at slight deviations of the relevant portions of the steering assembly (such as deviations of less than 2 mm).